operamartyc's Comments (19)

“Thanks! We needed this and appreciate having our own local HuffPost!!!”

“I loved the voices but the opera was a bit boring. Domingo, was amazing as I expected (Handel is not his fach) as was the cast and orchestra. Beautiful singing in a stupid production as is often the case these days - the singing so glorious that you can ignore the production. Still, we have riches at L. A. Opera including great singers in the Barber of Seville as well. Opera in L. A. is something to be proud of and I still miss the wonderful company of Opera Pacific which closed due to the recession. I hope the same does not befall L. A. Opera. I could only wish that the television audience that watches "American Idol" could just attend one performance of a live opera and see and hear what a difference a trained voice (without a microphone) is like - glorious. Thank you Placido Domingo for all you do for L. A. Opera and the wonderful patrons that allow those of not as rich to attend these wonderful productions. Culture is alive and well in L.A.!! The possibilities in music, drama and museums is inspiring and why many of us fight to live here, in spite of the economic conditions.”

“Elizabeth Warren is definitely a HERO and should be listened to by the current administration who have been charged with cleaning up the biggest governmental mess in the history of the U.S.. Even Lou Dobbs complained about the "war on the middle class" at one point in his CNN career. I can vouch for the end of the middle class as I used to be a member of it but am no longer due to a loss of a well paying job and career spanning 40 years - now as an experienced, knowledgeable person - I can't find a job doing anything! How many more people have to be homeless to make the greedy politicians happy? How many more foreclosures have to go down to make the bankers happy? No more regulations, pleases the credit card outlaws and banks; no more unemployment benefits to please the politicians = no more middle class - rich and poor seems to be the results of Republican governance.”

“I agree with you regarding Reich and Warren!!! Summers and Geithner aren't getting the desired results.”

“This guy is my hero!! I've watched him on MSNBC and think he is a real straight shooter and has the courage of his convictions and will stand up for what the American people want as well as those he represents in Congress. Go get 'em!!!”

“You are so right! The dumbing of America was on display with the election of G. W. Bush, you know the guy we most want to drink a beer with at a back yard barbque! The media is as much at fault as our educational system! Obama's intelligence and ability to articulate the English language is like a breath of fresh air!!!!!! We need to RAISE THE BAR not keep LOWERING IT!! Intelligence, educated, articulate, cool headed, thoughtful analysis and patience are virtues Obama seems to possess among many other excellent character traits. I only hope he can achieve his goals and take this country to a place where we can be proud of ourselves again! AP, go suck and egg!”

“Amen! This is an old story that just keeps getting worse. Now the GOP and their owned banks have managed to inflict a recession that will depress wages in the U.S. - just what they wanted.”

“I agree that movies are just plain lousy as Hollywood has abandoned the American adult and families seeking quality entertainment. Because of the dumbing-down trend in movies, I haven't been in a movie theater in years; EXCEPT to attend a Metropolitan Opera HD simulcast which has been a thrilling experience! I love classic movies and Netflix has 225 videos in my queue consisting of operas, ballets, documentaries and foreign movies - mostly British. British television series and films are much better than any of our movies!

Gone are the days when an intelligent novel was made into an intelligent film in Hollywood. There are tons of good books out there but obviously - no one (save Tom Hanks, "John Adams") can read. We are spending more and more on components to improve our entertainment centers in our homes with HD, Blue Ray, etc. and it just makes economic sense to view videos at home without great movies that often required the big screen to appreciate. Movies meant for an audience comprised of 12 year old boys is what we have now. People want quality entertainment and family movies which are all too rare.

I have a huge collection of the movie classics that I grew up loving and that both my children appreciate - quality can be seen over and over again - Turner Classic Movies and MGM's HD channels offer better movies than the local cinema.

Your comment piece is right on!!”

“Thanks for your story. I had to make a decision about an abortion to save my life when I was in the third month of my pregnancy - I made the decision to have one but my 3 doctors agreed to give me 24 hours to survive a crisis in my illness before taking the baby. I did survive and did not have to abort my baby. He is now 43 and has suffered from conditions that he inherited and maybe the "85% normal" didn't become his truth. I'm just very glad I had the choice to make with my doctors and that my life was more important to them than a 3 month fetus. It is the choice we need and must retain. The opponents never mention that late term abortions are about pregnancies that have gone horribly wrong for either the mother or her baby and affects far less than 1% of the pregnancies in this country. I can't believe any mother makes this decision glibly. As long as abortion is legal in early pregnancies, late term abortions will remain a tiny fraction of the pregnancies. Better yet, let's educate our boys and girls about birth control and prevent the need for abortions. We must retain the choice, however, because of the health risks of the mother and the baby and our right to privacy regarding same. If you can't trust me with the decision; how can you trust me with a child's upbringing?”

“Great article and touches all the incredible problems with credit cards! Thanks and keep it up! Obama, (thank God) is keeping his finger on all the problems and working on solutions to the economic problems that face us. The mortgage modification provision for judges still needs to be passed and legislation to curb the banks' interest rates and methods of dealing with credit cards. I'm keeping my fingers crossed and have already written my horror stories to my senators and President Obama. I'm sure everyone who has a card, has a story to tell. Please let your representatives in Congress and President Obama know how much this legislation is needed! Again, Thanks Arianna!”

“Somehow I just think he really won't care about this college or its honorary degree. He has a real one from Columbia and Harvard. He is much smarter than any of the faculty at this school. He did them a big favor in speaking there and he is too big a man to let this little decision made by little people to bother him. He has much bigger challenges to face. He'll continue on and not look back on this little slight. Also, this is that state that didn't want to observe the MLK holiday. This says much more about this school than it does about the President.”

“You are a very bright lady, Adriana, and I enjoyed the discussion with Charlie Rose very much. You are very simply right in your opinion of where the media is going and as a 68 year old reader of The L. A. Times (newspaper and sometimes online) and the Huffington Post (daily on line), I certainly agree. Yes, I'll miss curling up with the newspaper at night but I've already gotten all the important news on CNN, MSNBC or the Huffington Post, leaving me one day behind but I look for subjects in which I'm interested in the newspaper along with the editorial pages and the calendar section. Of course, the newspaper serves a two fold purpose that the Huffington Post, CNN, MSNBC, etc. can't fulfill - a place for my house puppy to use - she is "paper trained". KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK! You and the Post and the bloggers are terrific! Unfortunately, there are people who hang on to the relics of the past because they are afraid of change. Luckily, I'm not one of them and neither are you. More power to you! It's the quality of the news and writing that is important. Surely a revenue stream of advertising is doable online for good journalism! Even if we have to pay a subscription fee (perish the thought that we pay for something so important) the future is online - the internet. Now if the hackers would just get a life!”

“The Republicans have lied about how long this bill had been around (since last June?) and they certainly could have checked the changes. They couldn't offer a better plan so did the usual - obstruct. This country has never seen such an economic debacle at the power of the Republicans. I hand it to Obama for being a statesman and trying to work out THE COUNTRY'S problems with Republican cooperation. They won't and just have proven that they care more about their ideas of tax cuts for special interests than what might be good for the American people. I hope the people who voted for McCain and the Republicans in Congress, remember this kind of behavior when the 2010 elections roll around! Of course, that would mean that they need to listen to some media other than Limbaugh and Fox News. They will continue to drink the koolaid rather than educate themselves on how progress is achieved in government and in a capitalist country where, under the right leadership, the two can coexist for the benefit of the people. One Republican woman from the south said "we hate the same things" - that pretty much shows what unites the GOP these days. The Civil War isn't over, I fear. The GOP needs to split into the reasonable and unreasonable wings because they are going down a very selfish path led by nobrainiacs!”

“That presentation was really fun - thanks for sharing! I'm just hoping that this will begin an era of love and tolerance not only in America but in the world! Thank God the racists didn't win this election! They can keep on trying to dominate the politics of America but I think we have finally proven that most American's want a president that is smarter than they are!! not an idiot! Intelligence and good will doesn't have any color! I'm also tired of the religious wars -" my God is better than your God, therefore, I'm superior to you". Now, if religious tolerance could exist, maybe the world would have peace. America was on display in Grant Park, Chicago, on Nov. 4th and watching that crowd made me cry with happiness - the best election in my lifetime and I'm 67. Now, let's stand by our President and give him the time he will need to achieve his goals - he has inheritied the biggest mess ever!!!!”

“VERY WELL SAID!!! The Republicans continue not to get it! Thanks so much for addressing this disgusting "song". They continue to make themselves look small, mean, racist, bigoted, and un-American! Stooping low! Let them keep on dragging themselves down and making Republicans the truly tiny minority of the population that they will continue to become with stunts like this! The scene in Grant's Park, Chicago, Nov. 4th is what I remember! Thanks Peter! You said it all!”

“I've read his books and listened to him every chance I've gotten when he appeared on television. He is the perfect choice!! I'm going to email this suggestion and hope everyone else does as well! Clark was the lone voice in the wilderness prior to 9-11 and Rice nor Bush would give him the time of day when he tried to warn them of an impending event. Clark must be part of Obama's administration - an important part!”

“Agree 100% with your post Alec! I still believe sexism is more alive than racism in the U.S. and believe Madeline Albright was a pretty good SOS who is still very, very, sharp. I believe that Hillary is the perfect choice as was Biden for VP. Obama continues to show his smarts this a. m. in picking is core economic team. I have always admired Chuck Hagel and agree he is perfect for Secretary of Defense. Obama surely seems to be after the best and the brightest! A man more interested in the progress of the country than his own legacy and ego if I read him right. Thanks for your post!”

“I enjoyed your piece and certainly agree with it and have always thought that perhaps God, if he exists and does have wisdom, created "gay" people to control procreation of the species. That is not important but love of the human race is supposed to be. I was raised a Christian and believed in Santa Claus too up until I realized the "imaginary friends" applied to both. I also liked Sam Harris' books. I have gay friends who don't understand why anyone would "want to get married" but to not allow gay marriages is also wrong in a country that is based on equal protection under the law, etc. Since the religious institutions in this country want to engage in politics, they should pay for the privilege and pay taxes to the state and federal governments. When they do, they can pay and lobby for anything they want. Until then, they should shut up about all things political. Stick to their hymn books and the Jewish fairy tales of the Bible. It is only reasonable that gays should be allowed to be as miserable as the rest of the married population - gay or straight! (Yes, I'm divorced and much happier, single!)”

“Enjoyed your post and certainly agree with your point!!!!”